If a person would like to associate with people who see the world the same way as them, being a member of a group is going to make that tremendously difficult, as it involves just more of the equal fighting for an individual’s beliefs.
Additionally, the majority of groups are focused on single issues.
People who are not very intelligent can only focus on single things at a time and become fixated.
They become dimmer still when they assemble together to empathize about their fixation.
Thus, groups tend to be made up not of the reasonably best and brightest, but the worst and dimmest.
Above all, those who desire not to belong regret not having additional friends who are independent thinkers.
"I wouldn't want to belong to any club that would have me as a member." - Groucho Marx
The downside of Active Belonging is that an individual can take drastic measures to belong if they cannot contribute the way they want to. (bl08apr13– Dale, par. 6)
This is demonstrated within “Gattaca”, directed by Andrew Niccol, a film that portrays the issue of genetic engineering, where society has become overwhelmed by a new form of discrimination called “Genoism”.
Individual’s entire futures are determined by their genetic make-up.
Those who have been conceived naturally are labelled as “faith births” or “invalids”, and are looked upon as worthless by society and were made to feel rejected.
Whereas those who are genetically engineered to perfection before birth become the elite class who are termed “valid”, in which success is almost guaranteed.
Andrew Niccol uses plenty of production techniques to prove his point and ideas about a futuristic world where they "have discrimination down to a science", such as camera shots, editing, lighting, sound effects, and colour filters, used create a state of inhumanity and discomfort.
Belonging can mean the assignation of an identity, an act involving being pigeonholed, stereotyped, or positioned within a certain group as a result of societal assumptions.
(Re: Area of Study: Belonging , par.3) This is confirmed within Gattaca where the element of deception is revealed at the begging of the film as we see microscopic views of excess flakes of skin, hair and nails, which ironically look like snow, and pieces of lumbar to the viewers. These microscopic close-ups are done alongside cold and haunting music that could be interpreted as being suspenseful thus creating a sense of uneasiness and deception, with a loud exaggeration of sounds when the nails and hairs hit the surface. The music soon starts to change from a threatening composition to one with much sorrowful type of tunes. This is when we first meet the protagonist Vincent Anton freeman, who is an “Invalid”. The viewers see him scrubbing himself to the point where his own body literally disappears and becomes a “De-Generate”. Close-up Shots are used to tightly frame Vincent. It is used as a way of indicating his importance and as cutaways from a distant shot to show detail, such as his emotions or intricate activity by his hands. The Gattaca Corporation accepts only the most ideal examples of humanity, but Vincent refused to accept society’s beliefs and was determined to deny his genetic destiny. This determination to belong is made known when he undergoes an identity change, but to a great extent when he undergoes an operation. In doing so, a height adjustment was necessary and after going through the torturing procedure “Jerome never questioned my commitment again”. He drives himself obsessively to belong, to accomplish his lifelong goal.....
We all belong as a part of the human race, and within this group we can either belong or not belong in a variety of littler groups. (Re: Area of Study: Belonging bbbv) This is demonstrated within Gattaca when Anton Freeman [Vincent’s genetically engineered brother] is brought into the world “a son my father considered worthy of his name”. In this scene several techniques have been used such as Leading Actor P.O.V of Vincent erasing his marked name and measurements, Cameo lighting which helps focus on Vincent and not the environment whilst the music is depressing, indicating Vincent’s feeling of isolation.This is Passive because although he no longer has a sense of belonging, he physically belongs to his family.....
A great deal of human behaviour, emotion, and thought is caused by a lack of belongingness. (CiteUlike irinas (public note), par.1) This is exposed in Gattaca throughout the scene in which Vincent and his mother are being assisted out of a pre-school (his mother had a tendency of over reacting to every skinned knee and common cold.) Gates and doors are constantly slammed shut in Vincent’s face because he lacked the genetic make-up, which was preferred for pre-schools. The viewers witness a Close-up Shot of a gate being shut in Vincent’s face as he reaches out and grabs it. This Close-up Shot and sound effects of the gate echoing as it shuts, symbolises Vincent’s sense of isolation, and need to belong as he is not able to attend pre-school because they are not insured with his potential condition.
This is Negative because he was conceived naturally and cannot control his “condition”.
It can be exemplified throughout the Film Gattaca by Andrew Niccol, that the means of belonging to a socially approved group can overcome logic and decency.